February came and went, which hopefully means spring is around the corner (although it already feels like it). The neighborhood is skipping like always, fresh with new businesses, anniversaries and special events to celebrate Women’s History Month. Check out our top picks for events around the neighborhood and close-by areas and mark your calendar.
March 1-7:
Tuesday, March 3: National Mulled Wine Day @ DMen Tap (Avondale), 4 p.m.-11 p.m.
As we look toward warmer weather ahead, enjoy the last days of winter comfort — specifically, enjoy the last day of DMen Tap’s (2849 W. Belmont Ave.) soul-warming spiced, mulled wine. DMen’s celebrating National Mulled Wine Day with your final chance (until November) to wrap your eager mitts around the Dungeons & Dragons-themed kebab spot’s glasses of aromatic deliciousness. While you’re at it , enjoy some of DMen’s currywurst, kebabs and other German street food, along with the bar’s large craft-beer selection.
Tuesday, March 3: Modern Calligraphy Night @ Pilot Project, 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m.
If you’re like me, your signature looks, on a good day, like a flatlining ECG. Rediscover the wonders of not-only-legible, but perhaps-even-beautiful handwritten text with this calligraphy workshop. In this unique bar experience, you’ll learn “an introduction of modern calligraphy with a pointed dip pen and ink,” all while Pilot Project Brewing’s (2140 N. Milwaukee Ave.) microbrews get you steadily sloppier. All materials are included with tickets ($65), and you get to keep your kit at the end of the night.
Friday, March 6: Exquisite Corpse Vol. 1 @ Cafe Mustache, 8 p.m.-12 a.m.
Here’s an interesting idea for setting up a show lineup: Drawing on the surrealist “exquisite corpse” method, in which creators add words or imagery to a piece without seeing what came before, Cafe Mustache’s (2313 N. Milwaukee Ave.) new music show has bands play a show and then choose acts for the next one — then the next bands choose for the following show, and so on. Come check out the first installment, so you can watch (or listen to) the musical corpse unfold. This first outing showcases experimental hip-hop artist Malci, the sci-fi electronica of Bloodhype and experimental punks Alien Thing.
Saturday, March 7: Life In Progress 2020 art exhibit opening @ Hairpin, 6:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m.
AnySquared arts studio (2328 N. Milwaukee Ave.) and Hairpin Arts Center (2810 N. Milwaukee Ave.) join forces for a monthlong exhibit that coincides with AnySquared’s 10-year anniversary. “Life in Progress” kicks off today but goes until March 28, so you have plenty of time to check out the exhibit and arts festival with all the glory of local music, visual arts, poetry and films. It features several art events, screenings, panels, open studio hours and more. Check out a full list of the events, and cheers to a great community of artists!
Saturday, March 7: Sanctuary, Cabaret circus show @ Aloft Circus Arts, 8:30 p.m.
Our circus community is reviving its punk-rock cabaret show to celebrate the company’s new performing arts license. The new license means Aloft can now charge for tickets to its shows, so “Sanctuary” marks the first show that isn’t donation-based. Support local circus arts and check out the revamped show in the old church (3324 W. Wrightwood Ave.)! You can get tix here.
March 8-14
Sunday, March 8-Saturday, March 14: Women’s Week Logan Square @ various Logan spots.
Yay, women! The first annual Women’s Week Logan Square, hosted by Adornment + Theory (2644 1/2 N. Milwaukee Ave.), celebrates boss ladies and the women-owned businesses in our community. Special events will take place at participating businesses on different nights. Some highlights: retail therapy, “Now + Then” screening, a women-in-business panel, open houses and more. Check out the full list of participating women-owned businesses (maybe learn some new ones) and see what events strike your fancy.
Tuesday, March 10: Primer on the Primary @ Logan Square Library, 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m.
Have questions about the upcoming primary election — whom to vote for, how to determine the best candidate, who’s running? The Friends of the Logan Square Library is holding a primer on the primary at the library (3030 W. Fullerton Ave.) to help you learn more, sponsored by the Logan Square Chamber of Commerce. Get ready for election day on March 17!
Wednesday, March 11: Candlelight Special: Beethoven at 250 @ Stan Mansion, 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Ludwig van Beethoven turns a sprightly 250 this year, as you may have seen in numerous billboards around the city. Logan Square will honor this titan of classical music with a romantic, candlelit performance at a building perfectly suited to Beethoven’s dramatic beauty: the old Knights Templar site and current popular wedding venue, Stan Mansion (2408 N. Kedzie Blvd.). You’ll enjoy selections from the composer’s string quartets, performed by the internationally renown Euclid Quartet.
Friday, March 13: Asian Horror Double Feature @ Bucket o’ Blood (Avondale), 7 p.m.-11 p.m.
March brings us a Friday the 13th this year, so get your frights in with a Far East horror twofer at Bucket o’ Blood Books and Records (3182 N. Elston Ave.). The genre-focused shop (think sci-fi and horror books, with punk and metal records) turns its regular Windy City Horrorama special to Asian cinema. Catch 1998’s “Ringu,” the original Japanese film remade into “The Ring” in 2002, and 1999’s “Dead or Alive,” a yakuza action flick. BYOB.
March 15-21
Wednesday, March 18: LoganSquarist Monthly Meetup @ Toy de Jour: Vintage, Toys, Arts & Farts, 7 – 9 p.m.!
This cheerful little shop is packed to the brim with vintage toys that are sure to elicit waves of nostalgia. Whether you have little ones or are an 80s baby in search of rare collectibles, Toy de Jour (2532 W. Fullerton Ave.) will have you perusing for hours.The shop will be providing beer, wine and light snacks to all attendees. Stop by to find your next quirky treasure and chat with neighbors. RSVP: http://bit.ly/March18Meetup.
March 22-31
Friday, March 20: Badass Women of Chicago History Celebrates Unsung Heroines @ Sleeping Village (Avondale), 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
For the third year, tour company Chicago Detours hosts “Badass Women of Chicago History,” a live storytelling event with an amazing lineup of prominent Chicago women, at Sleeping Village (3734 W. Belmont Ave.). Lively presenters will share stories of Chicago heroines on the peripheries of history. Chicago Detours will donate a portion of the proceeds to the Chicago Women’s Health Center.
This year’s storytellers: Tracy Baim, publisher of the Chicago Reader and founder of Windy City Times; Elizabeth Gomez, performer, storyteller, and co-founder of the all-female flat-track roller derby league, the Windy City Rollers; Chicago Tribune’s reporter Lolly Bowean, who writes about race and poverty; Nicole Marroquin, artist, educator and co-founder of the Chicago Raza Research Consortium; and so many more! This event will blow your brains out with knowledge, empowerment and community, all things we love. Find out who else is sharing a Chicago woman from history and get tickets here. Tickets are $12 pre-sale and $17 at the door.
Monday, March 30: A Love Letter to Myself: A Chicago Variety Show @ Revolution Brewing, 6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Here’s one more women power event because there can never be too many. “A Love Letter to Myself” honors the journey of a woman’s quest for self-love, acceptance and empowerment, something we all have struggled with in the past. This variety show, hosted by Women in Comedy at Revolution Brewing (2323 N. Milwaukee Ave.), is packed with laughs and intimate emotional connection with the audience from start to finish. A diverse group of powerful, local female pillars of our community (soon to be announced) have been invited to write and read aloud love letters to themselves on stage, and they’ll be joined by an all-star cast of comedic performers.
Sunday, March 29: Last Indoor Farmer’s Market @ Emporium, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
You know spring is coming when the outdoor market is *hopefully* around the corner. Enjoy the last indoor farmer’s market of the season, at Emporium Logan Square (2363 N. Milwaukee Ave.), before it goes back out into the wild starting in April.
Featured photo: Tom Vlodek
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